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The Israeli military said Tuesday it killed Iran's top military commander, Ali Shadmani, in an overnight strike, calling him the closest figure to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In a statement, the military said, "Following a sudden opportunity overnight, the (Israeli air force) struck a staffed command center in the heart of Tehran and eliminated Ali Shadmani, the wartime Chief of Staff, the most senior military commander, and the closest figure to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei."
For the second time, Israel killed Iran's top war commander. In an airstrike deep in Tehran, Israeli jets killed Ali Shadmani, Iran's highest-ranking military officer and chief war commander, close to Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Shadmani led Iran's emergency military headquarters and oversaw both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Armed Forces. He was appointed after his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, who was killed in the first Israeli strikes.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated, "The so-called Ali Shadmani held his position as Chief of Staff of the Iranian War and the highest military commander and the closest to the Iranian leader for only four days until we eliminated him."
"The Israeli army has eliminated for the second time the Chief of Staff of the Iranian War and the highest-ranking military commander of the Iranian regime," Adraee added.
Following "precise intelligence" received by the Israeli army and "a sudden opportunity overnight (Tuesday), the IAF (Israeli Air Force) struck a staffed command center in the heart of Tehran and eliminated Ali Shadmani," the Israeli army said in a statement.
The military said that within hours of the attack, Air Force warplanes attacked a well-equipped command center in the heart of Tehran.
Shadmani stepped into the role on Friday after Israel's initial strikes on Iran killed multiple top commanders, including his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid.
Rashid and Shadmani had led the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, an entity that coordinates between the regular army and Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Before the elimination of his predecessor, Shadmani served as Deputy Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command and Chief of Operations of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff.
The Israeli army statement said that "in his various roles, (Shadmani) directly influenced Iran's operational plans targeting the State of Israel."
Under Shadmani's leadership, the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command was responsible for managing the war and approving Iran's offensive plans. In his various positions, he directly worked on and supervised Iran's firepower offensive plans targeting the State of Israel.
Iran has not yet commented on Israel's claims around Shadmani's death.
The Israeli spokesperson noted that "the liquidation of the accused Shadmani is added to a series of attacks on the Iranian military leadership and constitutes an additional blow to the Iranian armed forces."
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